Ian Beale sat alone in 45 Albert Square watching TV. He looked across at the clock and it said 8.20pm and he sighed. Jane was over The Albert with Sharon who had hired in a singer to try and win some punters away from the Queen Vic, while Bobby was having a sleep over with his friends from school. The clock that sat on the mantel piece belonged to his late grandmother Lou Beale. Ian smiled at her memory. The tongue-lashings and advice she would give were legendary in Albert Square. Ian's smile faded as he realised, possible for the first time that he could no longer hear her voice. Obviously she was dead but you can still hear peoples voices in your head, and he often thought to himself, 'What would Gran say?' and he would hear the answer in her gravelly old voice.

He muted the TV with the remote that sat on the arm of his chair and got up and picked up the picture of his late grandmother. Could it really be 26 years since she had died?

"Blimey" Ian said to himself under his breath realising that time was moving so quickly.

He looked along the mantle pieces at his family. A family that had his fair share of tragedy.

Next to the picture of Lou, was one of her Daughter Pauline, Ian's aunt and his uncle Arthur. They looked happy. Ian didn't remember her ever being that happy and a smile came across his face. Thinking about time he tried to work out how long they both had been gone. Pauline had been gone 8 years already. It seems like only yesterday he found out she had passed away right outside his house in the Square.

And Arthur.

His dear uncle Arthur, one of life's great losers. But what a genuinely nice guy. He had died 18 years previous. Again he wondered where the time was going and wondered how long it would be before Peter would be staring at Ian's picture on this mantel piece with all the other Fowlers and Beales that were no longer alive.

Further down there was pictures of his dear old Mum and Dad. Kathy and Pete. 8 years and 21 years respectively – How he missed them both so much, and then his cousin Mark who had been gone 10 years.

He picked the picture up that sat next to Mark and looked at it sadly.

"And you.." He whispered.. "I miss you most of all".

A loud knock on the back door made him jump. He put the photo of his daughter back on the ledge and walked over to the window which looked out onto his small back garden and pulled back the curtain to see who it was. He saw two figures standing in the darkness. He squinted trying to work out who it could be, before a look of shock set in on his face.

"It can't be" he whispered to himself.

He let the Curtains dropped and moved as quickly as he could through the dining area into his Kitchen. He tugged the back door excitedly but it was locked. He turned the key and pulled the door open with such velocity the sound of it crashing into the Kitchen unit could be heard across the Square. Ian's eyes filled up as standing before him was two figures, one of a good looking young man and one with a face so familiar yet one he had missed so much.

"Michelle" He said throwing his arms around his cousin.